Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbooks) - 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: Year two of the Dan Hawkins-era started out in a positive way as Colorado outlasted rival Colorado State in overtime, 31-28. The euphoria was short-lived however, as the Buffaloes went on to drop their next two games, losing to Arizona State and Florida State, respectively. A 42-0 pasting of Miami-Ohio put the wraps on the non-conference portion of their schedule, giving the Buffs some much-needed confidence as they opened up Big 12 play. Consecutive wins over Oklahoma and Baylor had CU at 4-2, but a 47-20 loss at Kansas State was the beginning of a five-game stretch that saw Hawkins' club lose four times.
A wild 65-51 shootout win over Nebraska earned the Buffs a bowl bid as they took on Alabama in the Independence Bowl. The Crimson Tide prevailed in that bout, 30-24, but the feeling in Boulder is that the Buffaloes are on the right track and perhaps just a year or two away from challenging for the Big 12 title.
2008 ANALYSIS:
OFFENSE: The Colorado offense was a middle-of-the-road unit last season, averaging 27.3 points and nearly 380 yards per game. The team should be in better shape this fall as sophomore QB Cody Hawkins, the coach's son, is back after throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 19 TDs as a freshman. Hawkins doesn't have ideal size (5-11, 190), but he is an accurate passer and his decision making should improve after tossing 15 INTs last year.
Senior Patrick Williams and sophomore Scotty McKnight will give Hawkins options down the field, while Darrell Scott arrives in Boulder as the nation's top RB prospect and will complement the efforts of Demetrius Sumler and Brian Lockridge. Coach Hawkins is certainly happy to have Scott on board, but getting him acclimated to college life first and foremost is job one. "My biggest talkings and dealings with Darrell have more to do with understanding a quality balance if life and what it takes to be successful. And he's a tremendous talent. He's a great player. He really is."
The offensive line has just two returning starters in senior C Daniel Sanders and sophomore OT Ryan Miller, but there is depth there and if some of the youngsters pan out sooner rather than later, Cody Hawkins and the rest of the skill players will be better for it.
DEFENSE: The Buffs were ripped apart by the pass last season, yielding 261.3 ypg through the air to rank 103rd in the nation while coming up with just 19 sacks. Coach Hawkins was asked recently about starting two new corners this year in a league that has a slew of talented quarterbacks. "I don't think it matters even if you have veteran guys, I really don't. There are a tremendous amount of talented players in our conference. And so we're going to have to do a lot of things that starts up front and mixing things up and changing things up and giving people on the back end a chance."
The Buffs return three starters along the defensive line, including senior tackles George Hypolite and Brandon Nicolas, both of whom could garner All-Big 12 consideration this season.
Senior Brad Jones is the team's top linebacker, while senior safeties Daniel Dykes and Ryan Walters will help break in the new corners. One guy who could make an immediate impact in the CU secondary is redshirt freshman Anthony Perkins.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Junior Matt DiLallo is back to handle the punting duties following a 2007 season in which he averaged 40.1 yards per kick, while the placekicking chore will likely fall to Aric Goodman, a former Wyoming Cowboy who is fairly accurate. The return job could go to the speedy Scott, as getting him the ball as often as possible should be coach Hawkins' primary goal.
OUTLOOK: The opener against Colorado State is always a tough out for the Buffs and non-league bouts against West Virginia and Florida State could have the team in an early hole.
The Big 12 slate is littered with strong opponents, particularly in the first five games (Texas, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Texas A&M). Home games against Iowa State and Oklahoma State could give the team some much-needed momentum heading into the regular season finale at Nebraska.
"If" seems to be the prevailing mantra for Colorado in 2008. As in, if the offense is able to get it going right out of the chute, and if the defense plays above its means, another postseason invite could be in the cards.
